The Spring of the Ram - Dorothy Dunnett [188]
She received him this time in a smaller tent and alone, except for Diadochos and the silent attendance of eunuchs. Instead of a throne, she sat at ease on a carpet; and after kneeling he took his place in front of her, opposite the monk with his black, shrouded hat. Someone laid a table before him, spread with platters of sugary things the size of his fingernail. Others poured him a cup of freezing fruit juice thickened with dust, which was presumably sherbet and was better than nothing, when it came to washing down chicken.
He saw that she was watching him, amused. Eventually she said, “Because you are among pagans, you need not observe pagan customs.” She made a sign, and a moment later he held a cup of red Cypriot wine in his hand. It was extremely strong: a Doria trick. He acknowledged it with infinite politeness and sipped it slowly. She said, “You have seen your notary?”
“And the rest. Thank you, Sara Khatun. They are being well cared for, but not in a lodging of honour.”
“Your soldiers are adequately housed. Your notary may join you. The escort is for your protection.” She got that out of the way, as unimportant. Her fingers moved a little, when she was impatient, and her rings glinted. She said, “We are, of course, discussing the destination of the camel trains. My son will make many purchases for his brothers, his household. There are other merchants, other emirs who will do the same. Then those who have come with the camels will take their goods where their best market is. Some will go to Trebizond. Some will elect to travel west to the great Turkish markets of Bursa. While they are here, the White Sheep are their hosts. It is our duty to escort them through our lands, and to see to their safety. It is possible that the road to Bursa is insecure, although we know that the Sultan will try not to hinder incoming trade. The fall of Amastris is not serious. But traders will hope, this year more than most years, to unburden themselves of much of their goods before going there. You have come to buy for the Emperor?”
An innocent question. He was good at those himself. She meant, “How big an investment are you making? Are you frightened, or are you and your army staying in Trebizond?”
He didn’t mind supplying the answers, provided she paid for them. Nicholas said, “Of course there will be no danger at all once the West sends its crusade. Fra Ludovico da Bologna is a persuasive man, and your son must rely on him. I hear the lord Uzum Hasan and the Emperor himself were pleased to tweak the Sultan’s beard over tributes quite recently.”
“Why not?” said the lady. “Is my son a weakling? He is the warlord even the Sultan Mehmet has learned to fear. These are men, and not vassals. Of course, God and this great Franciscan may have opened men’s hearts. Fleets may even now be crossing towards us. But what if not? Sinope and Trebizond are impregnable. Georgia can flood the country with men. Trade will continue long after this small inconvenience is over. I had been told of strings of rubies, of turquoise of a quality these men seldom carry. The Emperor will covet them.”
“I have orders to buy,” Nicholas said, “from the Emperor and others in Trebizond. That alone would justify a caravan to the City. A hundred camels, perhaps. What the Venetians and the Genoese would take, I don’t of course know.” He could feel the eyes of Diadochos trained on him, but the man did not speak.
The Syrian said, “And what of purchases on your own account? What does Florence require, and the Medici, and the Charetty?”
“I had planned to buy a great deal,” Nicholas said. “I have the resources. But I have changed my mind about taking it to Trebizond. It is, of course, unassailable. But a siege would lose us a trading season.”
There was a short silence. She stirred. “It seems to me,” she said, “that you lack confidence. To a strong garrison, need a siege last so long? Trebizond has repulsed armies before.”
“Trebizond reaches accommodation with her enemies in many ways,” Nicholas said. “I have heard about them. I have met the